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Valroc Tower
"When first my eyes lay upon Grimhallow, it was not the market places, the foundry, the commercial districts or sprawling habitats that greeted me. It was the vast Valroc Tower like a spear striking at the sun itself, stating its place in the world and woe betide those that do not heed its warning" - T'une Wyldehart "OK, i have to admit it, thats impressive" - Axel Stonehelm Valroc Tower stands 100 stories tall and is the Source of the Dome that surrounds Grimhallow. Within Valroc Tower you will find the following rooms The Great Hall The great hall of Valroc tower is a deceptively small room. It occupies almost the entire ground floor, but seems larger than would be possible in a tower of this size. It's high, vaulted ceilings and polished marble floors were carefully designed to create the illusion of vastness, in a room which is merely large. The statues placed high on the walls honour the gods and heroes of myth, and while they are too high up to make out any detail, were commissioned from the finest sculptors. This is the location of choice whenever an event is hosted at the tower, and no expense was spared in its construction. The Cellars The cellars of Valroc Tower are a labyrinth of cold, dark tunnels and rooms. They are piled high with supplies, everything from lumber and iron to fine vintages. It would be easy to get lost among the barrels and crates under the featureless, vaulted stonework, if it were not for the signs placed upon the wall at each junction. The rooms near the entrances, where the most important supplies are kept, are clean and well maintained, but the deeper you go, the dustier it gets, with only the occasional footstep disturbing the floor suggesting that these rooms are used at all. "It's not particularly verbose, but what else can you really say about cellars?" The Chapel Many of the rooms in the tower are lit by torches or magical lights. The chapel has candles lit, but those are for accent during the day. Large multi-colored windows let in a lot of light from the north side of the tower. 10 rows of pews line the main floor for worshipers to sit and witness or participate in ceremonies. A raised dais is at the end with a simple altar. Due to the multi-denominational nature of the guild, no permanent imagery of any deity is inscribed anywhere, but instead a storeroom holds large pennants to be hung on the front walls, and a cloth to drape over the altar, all with the symbols of different gods. And of course, new pennants and cloths can be made to accommodate deities not already in use. While sitting there making a sketch of the room, the most amazing thing happened at noon. Other windows set higher in the room let in light at an angle that met together in the center of the room to create the illusion of a divine figure floating in the middle of the chapel. Very clever design. Icebox The 32nd floor of the Valroc Tower is a most curious place. The entire floor is encased in ice, every room, ornament and piece of furniture frozen forever. How this came to be is a mystery as it has been as such since as long as the tower has stood. Legend has it there is an Ice Dragon hidden somewhere in the vast cavernous rooms, another claim is that it was the result of tinkering from an absent minded mage and a more fanciful idea is that this is the portal to a plane of existence made completely of ice. Whatever the truth, the cooks of the tower are just glad there is somewhere to store their produce, even if they have to carry them all the way to the basement for every mealtime. The Armoury The main Armoury of the Valroc Tower is situated in the basement, near the entrance of the great door. This is not a single large room, but rather a network of smaller armouries built to accommodate the vast number of adventuring parties that frequent the tower. Here you can hire a Gnome at a silver a day to store your weapons, they will keep them clean and shine out burrs in the metal. A fairly functional place, but essential for any extended stay The Oratory When entering the Oratory one immediately notices all the stained glass with light streaming through. This is unusual, of course, as all walls appear to be stained glass, but the other side of those walls is not the outside of the tower, except for the east wall. It seems that the architect had designed magical light either behind or on the walls to give it the effect of light streaming in at all times. Situated at symmetrical points along the walls are statues of pious individuals of the various civilized races. The most impressive part of all is the acoustics. When I first stepped to the platform in the center I vocalized a cautious note or two. The sound reverberated around the room growing in volume beyond the meager power I put into it. Those stained glass windows continue to surprise me. They are not glass at all, but rather some kind of crystal with great harmonic resonance properties in one direction. The other side is blocked from sound so people singing songs of praise (or performances) can’t be heard from outside the Oratory if the door is closed, only if it is open. Bathhouse Kitchen/Dinning Hall Bed Chambers/Dorms Top of the Tower Dovecoates